Ratchet

During my blogger-break, feminism took a plunge in place of ratchetness. Now, ratchetness has always been very much alive, but it was reserved for what you may PC'ly refer to as the lower class in society (i.e. the chavs and yardies). However, the likes of ghetto fabulous reality TV (mostly based in Atlanta) has promulgated ratchetness to a whole new height. The days of women idealising the role as queen has long passed. Instead, we have the likes of Miley Cyrus' adulterated 'twerking', Rihanna's pole dancer dreams and Beyonce's stripper fantasies as rolemodels to young girls. *sigh*

RUN DMC Tanktop : H&M | MOM Jeans : Vintage Gerry Weber | Boots : New Look

Has the stigma attached to 'b*tch' been erased? No. Yet, women now prance around proudly branding themselves with that title. Is it no longer degrading? Is it only an insult to call another woman that word but yet reserve the right to use it on yourself positively if you place 'bad' before it? How selective. It's like I woke up and the likes of Hilary Clinton, Chimamanda Adichie or Michelle Obama became 'so last century'. Now young women would rather have half-naked public figures on front covers juxtaposed to a man in a full 3-piece suit. Oh, the irony!

Soundtrack of the Minute - Flawless : Beyonce

Leather Jacket : H&M | Sunglasses : RayBans

I understand the appeal of ratchetness; less responsibility, lower standards and a laisse-faire attitude. What could possibly go wrong? Well, let me just propose this one key issue with the rise of the ratchet queens: young girls are no longer aspiring to use their brains, but relying on their beauty and body to succeed. I was stunned in the Mrs Carter World Tour (V Festival Edition) when a snippet of Beyonce's skits between costume changes urged women to use their sexuality to get them further. Now, I've been one to say that in the past, but I don't think sexuality is gender-specific, and have made that point outrightly clear in my posts. Why are women being conditioned more than ever by the media to only use their lowest, most carnal tool (sexuality) to achieve their goals? The juxtaposition of 'Bow Down B*tches' and 'Flawless' on the new BEYONCE record is a perfect example of how conflicting the message is to young girls nowadays. The effects are already somewhat evident, but I fear more for the generations to come.

Onyxsta says...BLEURGH!! Why crawl your way up ungraciously when women fought long and hard to stylishly climb up that ladder in heels?